Quote from a Fictional Character #4

"They do this thing whenever I'm talking to them where they blink their mascara'd lashes very quickly, as if they need to take lots of little breaks from looking at me."

--- Elizabeth Clarry,

Feeling Sorry for Celia, by Jaclyn Moriarty, 2000

(Rec. #48)

What ho!

Just a reminder that this is what Hugh Laurie did before House or that blues music thing he's been spending so much time on recently.

Also, you know he wrote a book, right? (The Gun Seller, Rec. #54)

Friday Flashback: Rec. #264: Selected Poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: Another installation of my continuing erratic series "Maybe try reading some poetry?" This time, it's Edna St. Vincent Millay, who combined the sonnet-craft of Milton with the dry sighs of Dorothy Parker and the home life of Tilda Swinton.

Here are some first lines to get you started:

"The room is full of you!" --- "Interim"

"My candle burns at both ends;/ It will not last the night;/ But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends—/ It gives a lovely light." --- "First Fig"

"To what purpose, April, do you return again?/ Beauty is not enough." --- "Spring"

"We talk of taxes, and I call you friend" --- "Sonnet 1"

Connections to previous Wreckage: More poetry! Monologue of a Dog (Rec. #19), The Best of It (Rec. #50), and Ripple Effect (Rec. #118). Also, you can see some of the aforementioned dry sighs of Dorothy Parker in What Fresh Hell Is This? (Rec. #237).



[Originally posted 9/20/12.]

Rec. #311: Young Adult

What: The grim comedy Young Adult gives us Charlize Theron as a supremely unlikable former prom queen who returns to her hometown in the hopes of recapturing past glory in the form of an ex. It's also about the people who enable her.

The cast is amazing and the writing is sharp, but far and away the biggest achievement is from the crew --- the costume design and set decoration are chillingly spot-on. (Of course Mavis packs things in a Victoria's Secret bag. Of course she does.)

Comparable to: Junebug is also a movie about going home that doesn't treat the hometown like a joke.

Representative quote: "It's really difficult for me to be happy. And then for other people it just seems so simple. I know. They just grow up and they're so fulfilled."

How to get it: It's available to stream on Amazon and Netflix.

Connection to previous Wreckage: Junebug was Rec. #139.

Quote from a Fictional Character #3

"I'm not as polygamous as I look."

--- Lashmer "Lash" Holden,

Death in Zanzibar, by M.M. Kaye, 1959

(Rec. #183)

Friday Flashback: Rec. #185 (abbrev.): Spellbound

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: Hitchcock flick, Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, 1945, amnesia, psychiatry, murder, skiing, handwriting, fork tines, mental hospital, front page of a newspaper, hidden impulses, violin case, dream analysis, razor, impostor doctor, snow, train tickets, impaled on an iron fence, absolutely nothing to do with a youth spelling bee

Representative quote: "My dear girl, you cannot keep bumping your head against reality and saying it is not there."

Also: Dream sequence by Salvador Dalí, (see below)

Connections to previous Wreckage: Rope (Rec. #5), Shadow of a Doubt (Rec. #78), Family Plot (Rec. #120)

Rec. #310 (abbrev.): The Bay of Angels

What: Anita Brookner, dutiful daughter, solitary, widow, unexpected stepfather, villa in France, apartment in London, unexpected estate, theories of family relativity

Opening lines: "I read the Blue Fairy Book, the Yellow Fairy Book, and the stories of Hans Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, and Charles Perrault. None of this was groundwork for success in worldly terms . . ."

Rec. #309: The Queen of Versailles

What: Lauren Greenberg's documentary begins as a tale of sickening, gag-me-with-a-spoon opulence. David and Jackie Siegel are in the process of building the largest single-family home in the U.S. He's sneaky-smarmy, she's oblivious, and it's all kind of gross. Then the economy tanks, and the Siegels go from being obscenely wealthy to just pretty rich. They don't handle it well.

Representative quote:
"How are you personally responsible for the re-election of George Bush?"
"I'd rather not say because it may not necessarily have been legal."

You might not like it if: The whole thing makes you sick to your stomach, and not in a good way.

How to get it: It's currently available to stream on Amazon and Netflix.

Connections to previous Wreckage: I previously mentioned The Queen of Versailles as part of List #23: A Few of the Best Movies I Watched in 2012.

Quote from a Fictional Character #2

"Don't fuss, there's nothing here that's worse than we are ourselves."

--- Mymble,

Moominvalley in November, by Tove Jansson, 1971

(Rec. #109)

Friday Flashback: Rec. #261: If on a Winter's Night a Traveler

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: Italo Calvino's novel If on a Winter's Night a Traveler is about someone ("you") trying to read a book called If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, by Italo Calvino. (With me so far?) The reading is interrupted by, among other things, missing pages, a foundering publishing house, literary guerrillas, and an international conspiracy.

Comparable to: It won't surprise you to learn that David Mitchell, the author of Cloud Atlas, was an instant fan the first time he read it. See also other twisty-structure-meta works of classic literature, such as One Thousand and One Nights, Pale Fire, and Tristram Shandy.

Opening lines: "You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino's If on a winter's night a traveler. Relax. Concentrate. Dispel every other thought. Let the world around you fade. Best to close the door; the TV is always on in the next room. Tell the others right away, 'No, I don't want to watch TV!' Raise your voice --- they won't hear you otherwise --- 'I'm reading! I don't want to be disturbed!'"

You might not like it if: It seems too much like compulsory reading for an undergraduate course in postmodern fiction. (Which, let's face it, is exactly what it is.)

How to get it: Buy or borrow it in print. Not Kindle-able (yet) --- although that would have the potential for an interesting experience.

Connections to previous Wreckage: David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas was Rec. #140. To see how this sort of thing can sometimes be made into a movie, watch Tristram Shandy (Rec. #112).




[Originally posted 9/3/12.]

Rec. #308: Im Juli

What: The English translation of the title is In July. I know we're well into September by now, but the past few days have felt like July, so let's just go with it and follow Daniel and Juli on a road trip from Hamburg to the Bosporus.

Comparable to: Like another German film, Run Lola Run, this one sure enjoys its chase scenes. Both movies also include actor Moritz Bleibtreu, who plays Daniel here.

Representative quote: "This is unbelievable. Unbelievable. Now it's all over with! Forever! And why? Because the guy who picked me up has a corpse in his trunk! Just imagine! A corpse! Is that your hobby?"

You might not like it if: You just don't do subtitles.

How to get it: Buy it or borrow it.

Connections to previous Wreckage: Run Lola Run was Rec. #170.

Quote from a Fictional Character #1

In which I debut a new regular feature.

"Toward the end of the month I found a job: what is there to add? The less the better, except to say it was necessary and lasted from nine to five."

--- "Fred"

Breakfast at Tiffany's, by Truman Capote, 1958

Friday Flashback: Rec. #183 (abbrev.): Death in Zanzibar

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: Mid-century British mystery novel, M.M. Kaye, retro camp, skipping out on London, convenient mumps, travel, Dany, awkward disguise, glamourpuss mother, Lash, stolen passport, letters, Mr. Honeywood, midnight intruder, fake secretary, the House of Shade, whiskey, malice, Gussie Bingham, stepfather, theft, spectacles, Amalfi, jealousy, scribbling journalist, brandy, Kivulimi, revolution, Nigel, house party, death, Zanzibar

Representative quote: "I'm not as polygamous as I look."



[Originally posted 9/24/11.]

Rec. #307: Please Like Me

What: In this Australian television series, young Josh is dealing with a lot: his girlfriend's broken up with him, his best friend/housemate is in a highly fraught/annoying relationship, his mum's attempted suicide, and, oh yes, Josh himself has realized he's gay.

It's all a bit much for someone who would prefer to avoid all confrontation or discussions of feelings of any kind.

Opening lines: "Why can't I ever just let myself properly enjoy things? Why can't I ever just be in the moment, you know? I know today is brilliant --- it's sunny, we're in the first world, we just ordered an $18 sundae --- but all I can think about is my rubbish face."

Representative dialogue:

"Are you sure you don't have feelings that you might want to share with me in some kind of talk?"

"Yeah."

"It can be good to share your feelings."

"Nope. Nooooooo. Nah."

How to get it: This airs on ABC, but maybe not the ABC you're thinking of --- it's the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. If you're not in Australia, it's over to YouTube for you.

Rec. #306: The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

What: Douglas Adams's other recurring hero, Dirk Gently, returns in this sequel to Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Do you want Norse gods? We've got those. An exploding airport check-in counter? That, too. A hostile stray eagle? A filthy refrigerator? An I Ching calculator? Check, check, check.

Comparable to: It's all about gods on earth, like Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips or American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

Opening lines: "It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on earth has ever produced the expression 'As pretty as an airport.'"

Representative quote: “There are some people you like immediately, some whom you think you might learn to like in the fullness of time, and some that you simply want to push away from you with a sharp stick.”

Bonus representative quote (and excellent life advice): "I don't go to mythical places with strange men.”

How to get it: It's in print and also available as an ebook.

Connections to previous Wreckage: Gods Behaving Badly was Rec. #250.

Get introduced to Dirk Gently in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (Rec. #162). You can also revisit a good chunk of the Douglas Adams oeuvre in List #25.